Some courses merely transfer information. Others provide a stimulating and thought-provoking experience. Stories and scenarios belong to the second category and are excellent means to enhance learning experiences. Scenarios do help retain new information in an easy manner. When you use real life scenarios or examples, learners are able to relate it to an existing or familiar situation or fact. This helps build on their current knowledge, giving scope for knowledge transfer that has better chances of retention.

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Training departments and sales and marketing department heads are unanimous in their opinion that product trainings are important. Unfortunately, many product training programs are poorly designed and executed. In this post we will look at a few design strategies for product trainings. Before we look at specific strategies for product training, let’s look at the various types of products out there. Products can either be software products or physical material products such as equipment. Products can also be non-physical products such as banking services or insurance.

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It’s a human tendency to like someone to take us through at times, whether in one’s personal or professional life, because this makes things easier for us to be guided and to learn new things. This is applicable to us all, children or adults. And, in the case of e-learning, it is an advantage if we have an avatar to make our learning effective.

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To sell a product, a sales person needs to have a thorough knowledge of it. Sales executives need to develop an in-depth understanding of organizational products. Effective product training can help a sales person to understand products and his customers as well.

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Over the weekend, I went shopping at a supermarket with my family. On my way out, we were cornered by a sales rep from a well-known travel company. Not wanting to sound rude, we listened to him present his travel packages to us. To sound a bit interested, we asked him few questions.

Finally, we told him that we are not interested and walked away. When I replayed the conversation in my mind, I realized that despite being polite with him, the sales representative was nervous and fumbling while answering our queries. It made me wonder if he was trained to answer questions other than those mentioned in his list.

A sale is the single most important part of any business. Hence, it is imperative that a business should have a well-trained sales staff. And, what other way than sales training to make sure that your sales people know and understand all the methods and approaches to gain sales?

During the training period, the company should explain minute details about itself, its products and services offered. The sales person should be updated with features, benefits and the competitor’s products or services, et al.

Using scenario-based and role-play approaches, he should be asked to make a sales pitch to a prospective client… The sales people should also be trained on verbal and written communication skills, computer skills for basic reporting, soft skills, dress sense, etc. They should be made to realize that a confident sales professional is bound to create a lasting first impression on potential clients.

Sales person should be trained to be an effective listener and should be prepared to answer and act accordingly. When a customer answers, he can restate it for clarity, try to gain insight into the customer’s need and wants by asking the right questions.

Customers buy not just the product or a service, but a solution through the product or service. He should be able to identify those solutions. While talking about the features and benefits of the product or service, he should allow the customer to see the benefits, solutions and results offered through the product or service.

Customer loyalty, ethics and integrity are important components of sales. An ethical sales person will be honest and tell the customer that he does not know the answer to a specific question, unlike making up an answer just to create sales.

Some companies may think training sales staff is a waste of time and money. However, trained sales professionals have an edge over their untrained counterparts.

However, in today’s competitive business environment, any advantage, businesses give their sales staff pays rich dividends. Online technology has created an entire new way of conducting sales and it is important that business and sales personnel train themselves in these methods. Businesses should consider sales training for everyone, be it the front desk receptionist, customer service or office boy that has direct contact with customers.

Do you agree that sales training really pays-off?

Thank you for reading my blog and look forward to your comments and opinions.